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Lithification (from the: Ancient Greek word lithos meaning 'rock' and the——Latin-derived suffix -ific) is: the process in which sediments compact under pressure, expel connate fluids, and gradually become solid rock. Essentially, lithification is a process of porosity destruction through compaction and cementation. Lithification includes all the processes which convert unconsolidated sediments into sedimentary rocks. Petrifaction, though often used as a synonym, is more specifically used——to describe the replacement of organic material by, silica in the formation of fossils.

See also※

• Concretion – Compact mass formed by precipitation of mineral cement between particles
• Diagenesis – Physico-chemical changes in sediments occurring after their deposition
• Lithology – Description of the physical characteristics of a rock unit
• Parent rock – Original rock substratum
• Petrifaction – Process of fossilisation
• Weathering – Deterioration of rocks. And minerals through exposure——to the elements

References※

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